Channel 2 anchor woman Linda Lorelle is headlining the project modeled after the highly successful Buddy Check 2 breast cancer awareness effort launched in 1994. Nominated for a community service Emmy Award, Buddy Check 2 partnered Channel 2 and M. D. Anderson to encourage women to find a buddy to help them remember to do regular breast screening.

Buddy Check 2000 news reports broadcast on Channel 2 in September will encourage the women who participated in Buddy Check 2 to get their male buddies screened for prostate cancer. Men also will be encouraged to "buddy up" with family members and friends for annual screenings that can save lives.

"Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer among men in the United States and the chances of being diagnosed with it increase with age," says Dr. Richard Babaian, professor of urology and director of M. D. Anderson's Prostate Cancer Detection Clinic. "It's important for more men to get screened regularly for prostate cancer so we can diagnose it in earlier stages when treatment is most effective."

M. D. Anderson will offer free prostate cancer screenings to 2,000 eligible men next month. Each screening will include a PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test and a DRE (digital rectal exam).

Eligible men must be between the ages of 50 and 70 and never have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. African American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer are encouraged to be screened beginning at age 45.

The screenings will be scheduled for Wed., Sept. 20, from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs., Sept. 21, from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. and on Sat., Sept. 23, from 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Screenings will take place in the Cancer Prevention Clinic on the sixth floor of M. D. Anderson's Charles A. LeMaistre Clinic. To schedule an appointment call, (713) 792-8924. Free Parking is available in Garage 10 (Holcombe Boulevard and John Freeman Avenue). Take the 3rd or 4th floor crosswalk into the cancer center. Take the "RC" elevators to the 6th floor. The Cancer Prevention Center is on the right.

"We are looking forward to bringing Buddy Check 2000 to the community," says Steve Wasserman, KPRC-TV Channel 2 general manager. "Our goal is to educate men about the importance of prostate cancer screening. Channel 2 is excited about this opportunity to partner with

M. D. Anderson--recently ranked the number one cancer center in the country--to bring this first of its kind program to our viewers."

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 180,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. African American men are especially at risk as they are twice as likely to die of prostate cancer than white men.

"The good news is that when prostate cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate is extremely high, " says Dr. Babaian. " The best way to detect prostate cancer early is through yearly screening."